When I introduce email to the Grade 5 class every September, we cover all the bases to make sure the students can write proper, polite and constructive emails to each other and to teachers. Inevitably, the topic of email scams comes up every time - and we have a (usually lengthy) discussion on email scams and hoaxes. It's not wasted class time - every email user should be aware that the internet, and mainly email, is an easy way for those with bad intentions to take advantage of those unaware.

It's really not that difficult to spot scams or hoaxes, really. Mainly, we all need to take a wary perspective of anything that looks suspicious. Did you get an email from a friend or family member - or someone you haven't heard from for a long, long time - and it just doesn't seem like something they would send? Or, does the email you receive look unprofessional - or have spelling or grammatical mistakes? Something seem "off"? You're probably right - and the best action to take is to simply delete it. Don't open - don't click - just delete.

Here are some more specific tips on recognizing and reacting to scams and hoaxes:

Most companies have a very strict policy to respect your privacy. They will never ask for you to enter your account or financial information online. So if an email asks you to click a link to log in to an account, "verify" your password, credit card, social security information or anything else you should be keeping secret, do not enter it. This method to collect your personal or financial information is called "phishing". Another tip: If you hover (don't click, but hover) your mouse over a link in an email, you will be able to see the link somewhere on your screen. This is an extra step to look for a URL that looks suspicious (for example, "http://mychasebanking.com" instead of "https://chase.com".

The adage is also rings true online: If it seems to good to be true, it probably is. One of the simplest forms of scamming is to promise riches and prizes. Online lottery winnings and being rewarded an inheritance sounds great, but in the end - you will be asked to enter your financial information into a fake form and you'll experience the reverse of winnings.

On the other hand, some scammers use scare tactics instead. Did you get an email from a friend that "posted a video of you online?" Or a relative about being mugged in England? Or held ransom? Or are they requesting you send money online? Call them instead - and ask them to change their email username and password.

Attachments are an easy vehicle for spreading viruses or malware on computers. Never, ever open an attachment unless you are expecting it and trust the one that sent it.

Hoaxes are typically less threatening - but we'd do the Internet much justice by trying to stop them instead of spreading them. Did our president ignore Shirley Temple Black's passing but honored Whitney Houston's with flags at half-mast? Is there really a half-toilet in Sochi? Did you see the waves that freeze mid-way in Lake Huron? Did you hear about the technician responsible for the lighting failure during the opening ceremonies at Sochi found dead the next day? Splenda causes cancer and onions around the house will fight off the flu? These are all falsities spread by email. Do everyone a favor and check www.snopes.com before pressing the forward button in your email program.

The best approach to suspicious emails is to go directly to the source. If a strange email came from a friend or relative, contact them and see if they sent it. If not, they should thank you for the tip - and then change their password as their email account is probably compromised. If that strange email came from a company that you use: Instead of clicking on any links within the email, go directly to their website instead and login - or, call them.

You can also report suspicious emails to the government. They are most concerned with phishing scams, which can be shared at http://www.us-cert.gov/report-phishing. You can also find tips from CERT (Computer Emergency Readiness Team) at http://www.us-cert.gov/ncas/tips/.

In the end, my students know that email can be a safe and reliable way to communicate. But they also know that the Internet is much like the Wild West, and you don't open your front door for just anyone that knocks.

Gaming. It's a constant struggle between parents and kids. We'd like less screen time and more playing outside, and hope to set boundaries around games. Kids love the interactions and stories that games bring - and tend to immerse themselves to a point of separation anxiety. The authors of video games know what they are doing, catering to kids in a way that keeps them coming back.

I could take so many approaches to this post. On one hand, it's proven that video gaming can actually help students, with hand-eye coordination and other tools to enhance learning. On the other hand - we are all, always, concerned about excessive gaming. Finding and helping moderate that balance is fodder for a whole other post.

For now, let's talk about more productive ways that students can spend this "Gaming" time. When students start talking about their favorite video games in technology class - I always interrupt with the question:

Did you know you can make your own video games - AND, it's super easy to do?

Probably the most fascinating elements of video games is the story. And children are natural storytellers, or naturally want to be part of the story. Technology offers so many ways to publish their ideas, but nothing comes close to video games - in allowing you or a friend to be immersed in a story you create.

Kids eat it up, and it's a great way to turn that "screen time" into more productive time. By creating games, students not only have a toolset to bring their stories to life - they are also practicing the fundamentals of logic, storyboarding, and programming / coding. These could be the foundations to a future in coding, design, and other successful endeavors in college and career. Why not foster it if we're able?

I've had great success with a program called KODU, built by Microsoft Labs. It's a free download but for Windows only - if you have a Mac computer, I'd suggest creating using Bootcamp to install Windows and then KODU on your computer. There are many articles available on the internet for installing Windows on MacBooks.

An online option, Sploder, has become more popular with students. It allows the same flexibility as KODU - but, there is no focus on programming - just on creating a story and bringing it to life.

Gamestar Mechanic is a relatively new venue for making and sharing games, and seems to be education and community focused.

Scratch, developed by MIT, is more focused on visual programming than gaming specifically, but kids can make basic games to share among other programmers.

Bottom line: Redirecting video-game obsessed kids to one of these video game design tools would not only be more productive, but give them the skills to be creators, authors, programmers and designers by publishing their own games.